


Funny How The Stars Crossed Right

by EternallyEC



Category: Victorious (TV)
Genre: A little bit of everything, Angst, Catorade - Freeform, F/F, Ficlet Collection, Fluff, Jori - Freeform, One Shot Collection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:29:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 24
Words: 17,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23617537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EternallyEC/pseuds/EternallyEC
Summary: A series of Jade, Tori, and Jori ficlets, mostly written from prompts from the Jori Discord. Like Packets, each chapter is a self-contained story (although I may sometimes add to them, but they'll be appropriately marked). Unlike Packets, these won't be limited to canon and likely will often diverge from it altogether. Written and posted as-is, so mostly will be unedited as well.As this is a writing exercise to experiment with what works and what doesn't, I greatly welcome feedback of any kind! And so far, there is one with Major Character Death, but I'll put a warning in the note when I post it so you can skip it.
Relationships: Andre Harris & Tori Vega, Cat Valentine/Tori Vega/Jade West, Tori Vega/Jade West
Comments: 54
Kudos: 197





	1. Hands Touching Hands

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Jade holding Tori's hands when they are shaking.

The entire group was hanging out at Tori's house for a card game, just like they did every week. When Tori's phone rang, she excused herself to answer it and encouraged them to keep playing, so she did. 

When Tori let out a breathless, "No..." and her shoulders began to shake, somehow Jade was the only one who noticed. 

"I'm out," she announced, tossing her cards down and standing up, her eyes fixed on Tori. She ignored everyone's surprise and walked into the living room, putting a gentle hand on Tori's back and gently pushing her towards the stairs. 

Trying to pretend like she didn't notice the way Tori had to be pushed along, her feet climbing the stairs more out of habit than any kind of conscious thought, Jade somehow managed to get her up to her bedroom without much problem or their friends noticing. 

Tori was shaking, her phone clutched to her chest as she stared blankly into space, seemingly unaware of where she even was and Jade frowned when she circled around to her front and found tears dripping down her face. 

She'd never seen Tori cry before and she was dismayed to find that it bothered her. 

"Tori?" she questioned. No response. "Vega!" she snapped, making her tone harsh and rolling her eyes when Tori finally snapped back to reality. 

"J... Jade?" 

"You seemed freaked out downstairs," she said dumbly, rubbing her arms for something to do. "You wanna talk about it?" she asked awkwardly, having no idea what to say now that Tori had resurfaced. 

"It's my dad," she said softly, sniffling as she stared at the floor. "He got shot..." 

"Jesus, Vega," she swore, wincing when the other girl started to cry harder, her hands trembling as she wrung them together in front of her. "Hey. Hey," she said gently, grabbing her hands and holding them in her own. "Do you need a ride to the hospital or something? Talk to me, Vega," she sighed, her eyes pleading with her to tell her what to do. 

Tori swallowed and slowly nodded.

“I have to tell Trina,” she whispered, her eyes glazed over and her hands clammy in Jade’s. Shock, most likely, Jade thought as she studied her. 

“I’ll tell her. Get your purse, we’ll kick the others out on our way out,” she ordered, still holding onto her hands as she started to pull her out of the room. 

“Jade?” Tori asked softly. “Why are you being so nice to me?” 

“Jesus, Vega,” Jade rolled her eyes, but her voice had softened when she replied. “I know I’m a gank sometimes, but it’s not like I hate you and I’m not going to let you get hurt trying to get around when you’re like this, okay? Can that be enough?” she asked. 

Tori nodded slowly, accepting her words. “Yeah,” she sighed, leaning forward to touch her forehead to Jade’s, their hands clasped together between them. “Yeah, it can.” 

Neither of them noticed that they were still hand-in-hand until they got in the car, but even then they didn’t bother trying to break apart. Jade told herself it was because Tori needed the contact to remain grounded, but she knew it was much more than that.

~ 

They reached the hospital first, Jade having Tori call Trina on the way and put her on speakerphone so she could tell her what had happened. The oldest Vega sister had immediately promised Tori that she wouldn't drive and that she'd be there soon. 

True to her word, she raced into the waiting room just twenty minutes after them, joining Tori at the front desk to try to get answers. Holly followed soon after and together, the family sat to wait for word, Tori beside Jade with their hands still clasped. Jade saw Trina glance down at them at one point, clearly dying of curiosity, but she seemed to know that it wasn't the time and kept her mouth shut. 

After what felt like hours, a doctor pushed his way through the double doors, his eyes locked on the foursome and Jade stayed seated while the Vegas stood, Tori's grip tightening painfully on Jade's hand. 

"Are you Holly Vega?" he asked. 

"Yes, and these are our daughters," she told him, arms folded across her chest. "Is he going to be all right?" 

"He pulled through the surgery fine and he's in stable condition," he told them with a kind smile. "He needs some rest so I'm going to have to ask that you wait till visiting hours to see him, but he's going to be just fine. The bullet hit an artery, but his partner acted with a clear head and was able to keep him from losing too much blood till he got here. Your dad's a fighter," he said, looking between the sisters. 

Tori's hand went limp in Jade's, and then she was using their connection to pull her up from the chair and throwing her arms around her. Jade awkwardly rubbed her back as Tori sobbed into her shoulder, clearly letting out all of the anxiety and fear she'd been experiencing since she got the phone call and ignoring the strange looks Trina and Holly were giving her. 

Holly seemed to overcome her shock first and once the doctor had excused himself, she took a step forward to gently touch Jade's arm. Jade resisted the instinct to jerk away more from a desire not to disturb Tori now that she was calming down than any kind of respect for the older woman. "Jade, would it be possible for you to take Tori home with you? Trina and I are going to stay here, but she should really get some rest."

"Mom, I wanna stay," Tori immediately protested, lifting her head from Jade's chest and turning to face her with a frown. "Please?" 

"Tori..."

Jade slipped her hand into Tori's again, giving it a squeeze. "Come on, Tori. I'll bring you back as soon as visiting hours start. There's no use in all three of you sitting around here for hours, right?" 

Holly gave her a grateful smile when Tori sighed, giving a reluctant nod. "I guess not... and I've always wanted to see your house," she added, the first hint of Tori's usual fire coming back. Jade didn't want to admit how relieved that made her, but it did. 

"Then let's go." 

Half an hour later, goodbyes had been said and the drive back to Jade's house had been completed in almost total silence. Jade watched in amusement as Tori moved around her room like she owned the place, investigating every weird jar and possession that she could reach. "Hey, you still have the fatty lump!" she exclaimed, picking the jar up and examining it closely. "I get why you kept it." 

Jade's eyebrow slowly raised, surprised by her words. "Seriously?" 

"I like weird things too," Tori told her, replacing the jar and coming back to stand in front of her. "I'm just not as open about it as you." 

Jade rolled her eyes, taking her words as an insult. "Sorry that I--" 

"That was a compliment," Tori rolled her eyes right back, cutting her off. "Can we go to bed?" she asked, not giving her time to reply. 

Grateful for the reprieve, Jade nodded and opened her drawer, tossing a long shirt Tori's way. "You can sleep in this," she told her, wishing she'd thought to stop by Tori's house on the way. 

Tori smiled as she caught it and nodded, disappearing into the adjoining bathroom. Jade took the chance to pull her shirt over her head, unclasping her bra and letting it drop to the floor before she kicked it under the bed. Tugging another long shirt over her head, she finished undressing just as Tori returned from the bathroom. 

"You can go ahead and get in," she said, nodding to the bed. "I'll be back in a minute," she added, disappearing into the bathroom to take her make-up off. She hesitated before returning, feeling vulnerable at the sight of her naked face in the mirror. Everything had been weirdly intimate with Tori tonight already, but letting her see what Jade looked like without the mask she put on for the world... It made her feel exposed, naked in a way she hadn't in a long time. 

"Get it together, West," she grumbled to her reflection before marching out of the bathroom and stopping short at the sight of Tori in her bed. Although she'd never admit it, it was a sight that she'd imagined a thousand times before, but the reality was so much better than anything her brain had conjured up. 

"Jade?" Tori asked hesitantly, her voice small as she lifted her head from the pillow to look at her. She was crying again, the sight of her tears enough to break Jade from her stupor. She hurried to climb into bed, slipping under the covers so that she could pull Tori into her arms. Tori sighed as soon as she felt Jade's arms around her and scooted back so that her back was pressed to Jade's front intimately. "Thank you for tonight," she said softly, finding the words easier to say when she didn't have to see Jade's face. 

"You're welcome," Jade mumbled back, finding the same. There was a silence between them that stretched then, but it was comfortable. "I'm sorry about your dad," she added, feeling Tori stiffen slightly against her and tightening her grip until she relaxed. 

They said no more and soon, Tori's breath had evened out and Jade knew that she was asleep.  Sleep tugged at the edges of her consciousness but Jade refused to give in, wanting to be awake if Tori should need her. Instead, she busied herself looking at Tori, _really_ looking at her for the first time. 

She was peaceful when she slept, her face totally relaxed and a small, dopey smile on her face that made Jade want to kiss her. The thought surprised her although it really shouldn't have; she'd thought about it plenty of times before. But then, it had been a passionate, hungry kiss, more of a claim than anything. Now, though... Now, all Jade can think about is how nice it would be to kiss her softly, gently, to pour her feelings into the kiss and the thought doesn't scare her nearly as much as it should. Not with Vega. 

Her thoughts are interrupted when Tori tenses in her arms and starts to shake, whimpering in her sleep. The whimpering soon turns to a scream and she bolts awake, Jade sitting up with her to keep her arms around her as she pants heavily. 

"Hey, hey, it's okay, you're safe, everything's fine," Jade whispered in her ear, soothingly rubbing her back. 

"J--Jade?" Tori's voice shook as she spoke and Jade can't be held responsible for her actions if she kissed her cheek. 

"Yeah, it's me. You're in my room, Tori, and everything's fine." 

Tori turned and willingly went into Jade's embrace, letting Jade lay back and pull her almost on top of her as she cried. "Do you want to talk about it?" Jade asked quietly, still tracing patterns on her back. 

"I dreamed that my dad had died," she whispered, clinging to Jade like a life preserver in the middle of a dark, terrifying ocean. "And I was trying to find you but you weren't there and I was alone." 

Jade was glad that Tori wasn't looking at her then because with all her years of acting, not even she could hide the smile that appeared on her face at the thought of Tori looking for her at such a time. "Well, that was stupid," she said, but there's no malice in her words. That's not what this is about; this is about making her feel better, after all, maybe coaxing a grin, even. "I'm right here, Tori, and I'm not going anywhere." 

Tori looked up and Jade's heart fluttered at the sight of her determined expression. She's seen that look before and she knows that it means that Tori's decided to do something and that nothing will stop her. 

The last thing Jade expected was for Tori to press her lips to hers, kissing her softly, but Jade's quick to respond in kind once the surprise passed. Her lips taste salty from her tears and Jade frowned, moving her lips to kiss away her tears. 

"Jade?" 

"Yeah, Tori?" she asked, breathing heavily and closing her eyes. 

"Thank you." 

"Yeah, sure, whatever," she said, pulling Tori into another kiss. 


	2. Little Moments

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No prompt for this one, I was just inspired by a conversation we were having at the time about Jori and kids!

Jade's never wanted kids, too afraid she'll screw them up and they'll end up like her, bitter, angry, and resentful of her for pushing her issues on them. But her wife wants them, always has, and Jade knows it. It was a major point of contention between them, even leading to a break-up in college that lasted a few years until a few glasses of wine too many had Tori video chatting with her. 

Miserable without Jade, she'd realized that she was more important than any imaginary kids she'd dreamed of, though they decided to table the topic rather than say an outright no, mostly for Tori's sake. 

And they talk about it throughout the next few years; Jade gets better at talking and tells Tori about her reasons for not wanting kids and Tori understands much better. She's reassuring, promising her that neither of them would make their parents' mistakes and that together, they can have a fresh start and do anything. But she never pushes, always ending with reassuring Jade that the two of them is all that she ever hopes for and is more than enough no matter what she decides. 

But then Trina and Beck have twin daughters, and they have their aunts wrapped around their fingers from day one. Seeing Tori holding the infants and later toddlers sparks something in Jade, a softness she never knew she could feel. 

When the twins are three, they're staying overnight at Jade and Tori's house. They're asleep on the bed between the two, cuddled together adorably when Jade catches Tori smiling at them and it makes her heart flutter. 

"Okay, let's do it," she tells her, making Tori jump slightly. 

"Do what, Jade?" she asks cautiously, her smile faltering as she tries not to jump to conclusions. 

"Let's have a baby, or adopt, or whatever."

"Jade, are you serious?" 

"Do I look like I'm kidding, Vega?" she smiles, and Tori's eyes fill with tears as they kiss over the twins.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH in this one, please take care of yourself and don't read if you don't feel comfortable with this idea. <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another with no prompt. MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH.

Jade’s sitting in what was the den of their modest but beautiful home, listening to the steady beeping of the monitors with Tori’s cool hand clasped in her own. 

It’s close to midnight, one of the precious few chances where she can be entirely alone with Tori without the army of nurses at her beck and call rushing around (though they are sleeping just down the hall, ready to hurry in if Tori needs them). 

She can’t blame them, but she can’t deny that she really misses the time alone sometimes. Tori has precious little time left, she knows; she’s barely woken for the last week and usually doesn’t have the strength to speak. But that’s okay, they’ve never needed words, not really. Tori will give her a weak smile and Jade will kiss her hand or her forehead or sometimes both because  _ goddamn it _ ,  _ they just don’t have enough time _ and she never wants to forget what she feels like. 

And then she’ll drift back into unconsciousness, leaving Jade sad but grateful that she’s found relief from the pain that she knows wracks her body whenever she’s awake now. 

Almost as if summoned by Jade’s thoughts, she feels Tori’s hand twitch in hers and she raises her eyes to find Tori watching her with a smile. “Hey beautiful,” she manages to croak out, her voice raspy from disuse but still the most beautiful thing Jade’s ever heard. 

“Hey baby,” Jade says softly, kissing the back of her hand before standing to brush a tender kiss across her forehead. “Are you okay? Do you need a nurse?” 

Tori coughs, her entire body shuddering with the movement, and she shakes her head. “No, just some water,” she requests, and Jade hurries to get it for her from the refrigerator they keep in the room. 

Putting a straw in the bottle, she carefully helps Tori sit up and slides the straw into her mouth, angling it so that she can sip from it, her eyes never leaving Jade’s face. 

Once she’s finished, she gives Jade a soft look as she sets the water to the side. “Jade, we need to talk.” 

“No, you need to rest,” Jade tells her, squeezing her eyes closed and rubbing her temple. It’s not real if they don’t talk about it, she tells herself firmly, feeling the pressure before her eyelids increase. 

“Jade, please.” Tori’s voice is soft and pleading and it pulls Jade like a magnet. She never could deny Tori anything, and especially not now, alone in a bedroom that doubled as a hospital room while her wife lay dying before her. 

“I don’t know how I’m supposed to do this, Tori,” she whispers, her voice raw with emotion. “I’m not strong enough to live without you.” 

“Yes, you are, Jade,” Tori tells her, her voice sounding firmer than it has in weeks. “You have to promise me that you’ll keep fighting. I feel guilty enough for leaving you alone when I promised I wouldn’t.”

“Tori,” Jade whispers weakly, her tears finally pushing past her meager defenses and rolling down her cheeks. “You kept your promise,” she assures her, brushing a careful, tender kiss across her lips. “I promise I’ll try if you promise me that you’ll stop feeling guilty about something you couldn’t help.” 

Smiling weakly, Tori nods. “We have a deal,” she whispers, her eyes fluttering. “Jade?” 

“Yeah, Tori?” 

“I love you. Don’t forget that.”

“I love you too, Tori. How could I not?”

“Will you sing to me?” she whispers, her eyes already closed.

Jade squeezes her hand, her heart tightening painfully in her chest. She knows with a deep sense of dread that something has shifted, but she can’t think about that now, not when Tori’s asked her to do something so small. 

Clearing her throat, she starts to sing softly. 

_ Shelter my eyes from the sun _

_ And wait for the birds to fly by _

_ Trying to reach every one _

_ And know what you're feeling inside _

_ Deep in my head now it's like a dream goodbye _

_ There is no upper hand _

_ I'm giving you mine _

_ It doesn't have to end up wasting your time _

_ There's things that I could say _

_ But hear it my way _

_ I want to let you know that it's all okay _

_ There is no upper hand _

_ I'm giving you mine _

_ It doesn't have to end up wasting your time _

_ There's things that I could say _

_ But hear it my way _

_ I want to let you know that it's all okay _

_ Want to let you know that it's all okay _

_ Want to let you know _

_ That it's all okay _

Just as she finishes the last verse, Tori flatlines and a sob rips from her throat as there’s a sudden flurry of activity around her. 

She’s reluctant to release her hand but does when a nurse puts a gentle hand on her arm, backing away and watching with dead eyes. 

The pain is too much for her to express, ripping its’ way through her insides and leaving nothing but destruction in its’ wake. 

Jade’s never been anything but a realist, and she can’t even pretend to be hopeful as she watches the team of medical personnel work on Tori, knowing that she’s gone. Tori’s gone and she’s not coming back, and she slowly slides to the floor, pulling her knees to her chest and hugging them as she wails.


	4. The World Can Wait

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Jade won't let Tori get out of bed by cuddling them.

Tori yawned, blinking sleepily as she slowly woke. Groaning as the sound of her alarm registered, she shifted to slap the snooze button, smiling as she rolled over to face Jade.

Jade's arms were wrapped around her and she looked peaceful, innocent and vulnerable without the make-up and the scowl she wore around others. It was her favorite view in the world and when her alarm sounded again, she hadn't even know one minute had passed, much less five. Sighing, she reached out blindly till she shut it off.

Kissing Jade's forehead tenderly, she reluctantly started to pull away. She had a jam-packed day and, as always, she'd set the alarm for the last minute so she had to get up. But as soon as started to sit up, Jade's arms clamped tightly around her like a vise.

"No," she mumbled, voice thick with sleep. "'s early."

"I know baby," Tori whispered, combing her fingers through her raven hair. "But I have to get up."

"Mm-mm," Jade grumbled, her grip somehow growing tighter around Tori's torso. "Stay."

Tori giggled and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "We can stay in bed all day tomorrow, but I have to get up now."

"Five more minutes?" Jade frowned, her eyes slowly opening to meet Tori's.

"Jade..."

"Please?"

Tori melted at the seldom-used word from her girlfriend and she relaxed back into her embrace, smiling when Jade snuggled into her even more. The world could wait five more minutes. What she had here was far more important.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This should catch us up now! I'm sorry for blowing up anyone's notifications! Prompt for this one is at the bottom.

"Vega," Jade glared, narrowing her eyes when Tori refused to even look her way. "Vega, what is your Wi-Fi password?" she growled, growing more fed-up by the second. 

"I already told you, give me your laptop and I'll put it in," Tori insisted, avoiding her eyes. 

"What, do you think I'm going to give everybody your Wi-Fi password, Tori? You can change it as soon as we're done with this stupid project, just tell me what it is!" Jade snapped. 

Tori shook her head, a stubborn expression set on her face as she held her arm out for the laptop. 

"Whatever," Jade grumbled, starting to type in things that Tori might have as a password. But the problem was, as she soon discovered, she had no idea what those might be and so she ended up just typing in random words while Tori kept silent watch. 

Growling, Jade typed in her name as a joke, just something to type so that she wouldn't have to admit defeat. The last thing in the world she expected was for it to work, the signal going from 'connecting' to 'connected' in seconds flat and leaving Jade's jaw hanging open. 

"What the hell? Your Wi-Fi password is my name?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Jade trying to mooch off Tori's wifi and jokingly putting their own name in as the password, then being shocked that it actually works and they're now connected to Tori's wifi...


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Jade getting shy about being naked in front of Tori for the first time. 
> 
> \- OR - 
> 
> One of my many HCs about Jade in fic form.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Jade getting shy about being naked in front of Tori for the first time. 
> 
> Sorry guys, I forgot about this one! LOL Now this one should definitely catch us up.

Jade’s being ridiculous and she knows it. 

It’s not like this is the first time she’s had sex; hell, it’s not even the first time she’s had sex with Tori. But that had been different, both of them too impatient and needing each other’s touch to bother getting rid of their clothes, preferring to work around them. 

This time was different, it was special. Jade had agreed to stay at her father’s apartment while he was out of town, making sure that nobody broke in or whatever. But she’d only agreed because of what was happening now, thoughts of being able to make love to Tori Vega instead of fucking her, having all of the time in the world instead of having to rush. 

And now the moment’s here and all she can do is stand there like a fucking idiot, her shirt half-buttoned and her fingers frozen. 

“Jade?” Tori asked softly, her own shirt open and hanging loosely, and Jade swallowed thickly. “What’s wrong?” 

“Tori…” she said weakly, her name spilling like a prayer from her lips as she watches her approach her slowly, like someone might approach a wounded predator. And that’s what she is, isn’t it? A wounded predator, snarling and snapping at anyone who dares get close, no matter if they just want to help. That’s how she’d treated Tori for years, after all, so it’s a fitting analogy. 

But then Tori’s hands are gentle on her shoulders, brushing a kiss across her forehead and Jade can feel herself settling, relaxing into her familiar touch. “We don’t have to do this,” she whispered in Jade’s ear, and her determination strengthened. 

“I want to,” she told her, grasping her arms tightly and meeting her gaze. “I’m just… scared.” The word has to be forced out of her mouth, the taste of it unfamiliar and bitter. It’s a word of weakness, a display of vulnerability that she hasn’t shown anyone before, not even Tori. 

Tori, to her credit, doesn’t show any reaction but a brief flicker of surprise in her eyes. “What are you scared of?” she asked softly, cupping her cheek. 

“What you’ll think of me,” she whispered, and she can see the realization dawning in Tori’s eyes as her grip tightens on her shoulders. 

“Jade…” 

“My first…” She swallowed. “I caught him in bed with another woman. But that wasn’t bad enough,” she said bitterly, the memory still haunting even after all the time that had passed and how different she’d become. 

“He couldn’t just dump me, he needed to feel some kind of fucking control over me. You know what he told me?” she scoffed, shaking her head. “He said that I was too disgusting to look at in bed and he had to get it from somewhere else.” 

Tori’s eyes narrowed and Jade licked her lips, knowing it was fucked up to find the sight of her anger so appealing but goddamn it, nothing in the world was hotter than Tori Vega getting pissed off, especially on her behalf. “Jade, he was an idiot,” she said, choosing her words deliberately and punctuating them with kisses on her skin. 

“You are the most beautiful woman I know,” she told her, resting her hands over Jade’s on her shirt and Jade took a deep breath before nodding her permission. 

“You’re sexy,” she said, popping open a button. 

“You’re perfect,” she said, another following suit. 

“And you’re mine because I fought for you,” she told her, eyes boring into Jade’s as she undid the last button, spreading the shirt and resting her hand on Jade’s bared hips. “Anybody who hurts you ever again is going to have to answer to me, got it?” 

“Yes ma’am,” Jade murmured, her voice huskier than usual from desire. Taking a breath, she pulled away from Tori just enough to shrug her shirt off, removing her lacey purple bra next. 

“Good,” Tori said breathlessly, her eyes roving over Jade’s body with a hunger that washed away all of Jade’s insecurities. “Because I’m going to explore every… single… inch of you tonight,” she smiled wickedly, and just like that, Jade was back to herself. 


	7. The Horror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Tori's mom gives Tori and Jade very cheesy, matching shirts/sweaters/scarfs. Jade does their very best to pretend that they love it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be cute and soft, and then Tori's minx side came out to play. Enjoy!

Jade slowly pulled the garment from the box, only years of honing her acting skills keeping the horror she felt from spreading across her face as she stared at the repulsively colorful Christmas sweater. It was black, but it was the front of the sweater that was the worst. 

Christmas ornaments of various colors were strewn along all over the front and down the arms, and multi-colored letters spelled out "FAB-YULE-US", each string of letters on a different line. And at the very bottom was an ugly chimney with a fat blob that was supposed to represent Santa on it. Or maybe the chimney was a present, hell if she knew. It made her eyes hurt to look at it, especially with the glitter, and she quickly looked up to see Holly watching her with an anxious smile on her face. 

Turning to her left, she saw Tori holding the same sweater in her hands, and Jade forced a smile at her prompting nod. "Thank you," she said, doing her best to sound sincere as she folded the sweater back up as quickly as she could, shoving it back into the box and out of her sight. "I love it." 

"Yeah Mom, they're great!" Tori said cheerily, and Jade honestly couldn't tell if she was joking or not. 

"Oh, I'm so glad you girls love them! Your father and I are having an ugly Christmas sweater party tonight and you just have to wear them!" 

Jade's eyes widened and only a sharp elbow to her ribs kept her from cursing. Glaring over at Tori, she rolled her eyes and nodded. "Of course we will. Thank you, Holly. Um, I need another drink. Tori, can you come with me for a second?" 

"Sure, Jade," Tori answered, following her out into the garage where they'd stashed the sodas they'd brought. 

"Tori, what the hell? I can't wear that, I can't even look at it!" 

"Jadeeeee," Tori whined, putting on a pout for good measure. "It'll make her happy. Please? It'll just be for a couple of hours and then I'll let you burn them if you want." 

Jade paused, her protest dying on her lips as she considered. "You swear?"

“Absolutely,” Tori grinned. 

“Well.. maybe a couple of hours won’t kill me,” she grumbled, succumbing to the power of the Tori Vega-West pout once again. 

“That’s my girl,” Tori cooed, pushing her against the fridge and kissing her, the kiss quickly turning heated as their hands started to wander. 

“Tori, your family are just inside--” 

“Don’t you want me to give you your Christmas present for being so nice about tonight?” Tori smirked against her lips, her hand sliding under Jade’s shirt to rest on her stomach. 

Jade’s eyebrow arched in surprise and she couldn’t hold back the moan that escaped her. But then--

“Wait a minute, you knew about this, didn’t you?” she demanded, pulling away without moving from her arms.

Tori flushed and that was all the answer Jade needed. 

“You’re just trying to butter me up!” 

“But is it working?” Tori grinned, sliding her hand upward. 

Jade shivered and cursed her traitorous body as Tori leaned in for another kiss and she let her. “Yeah,” she mumbled, throwing her pride to the wind in favor of Tori’s intoxicating touch. 

Fuck it. She could pretend to like the stupid sweater for a couple of hours if it made Tori this happy, she decided as she deepened the kiss.


	8. I'm Sorry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH 
> 
> Prompt at bottom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, some notes. I did do a little research and I know that this is extremely unlikely to happen for a number of reasons, but I decided to play a little fast and loose with what would normally happen. So any mistakes you see are probably intentional sacrificing of facts for the story. 
> 
> Also, as noted in the chapter summary, we have another MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH here, so please don't read it if it will hurt you in any way.

“Jade?” Tori frowned as she looked at the other girl sitting across the table from her. “Are you okay?” 

Jade had been acting… odd over the past few days. First, there had been the obviously terrible headaches; she could hardly even get up on the stage in Sikowitz’s class, much less act out a scene and he hadn’t called on her again after she’d nearly fallen down the steps to get back to her chair on the first day. 

Her usually pale cheeks were unusually flushed, leading Tori to suspect that she had a fever. But when she’d asked, Jade had growled at her to back off and she’d obeyed, really not wanting to get on her bad side. 

But today, there was honest-to-goodness  _ sweat  _ on her face and she’d been acting strangely all day. In fact, it could have been longer, Tori considered for a frown, remembering that they’d had a three day weekend. 

Eyeing the small bandage on Jade’s face, she wondered again how she’d gotten whatever wound it was covering. But just as she was about to open her mouth to ask, Jade abruptly stood up and kicked a nearby trash can over before storming off, seemingly unprompted.

Tori stared at their group of friends, each wearing a matching shocked expression. Jade was no stranger to violent fits by any means, Tori thought with a sinking feeling, but they were rarely unprompted. Or, at least, they had a reason in  _ her  _ mind, she amended, unconsciously running a hand through her hair as she remembered the disgusting feel of dried coffee in it. 

“I’m going after her,” she blurted out after a moment, when it became clear that no one else was going to follow her. Throwing her trash away, she rushed after the other girl, seriously concerned about whatever was going on with her. 

Catching up to Jade at her locker, she grabbed her arm and gasped when Jade jerked away from her grip. There was a terrifying look on her face, an expression that not even  _ Tori  _ had been subjected to before, and it sent dread crawling down her spine. “J--Jade? We need to talk.” 

“I don’t need to talk to anybody, Vega,” Jade growled, “and especially not  _ you _ . Just stay the hell away from me.” 

“But Jade--” 

“I mean it!” she shrieked, the sound echoing in the empty hallway and making Tori take an automatic step back, fear curdling in the pit of her stomach. “I don’t want your help. I’m going home.” 

Tori watched her leave, her heart telling her to follow but her mind cautioning against it. Her mind was going a million miles an hour but still, she couldn’t decide on a course of action and she was still standing frozen in place when the bell rang and her classmates came pouring back into the school. 

“Hey, did you find Jade?” Beck asked with an easy smile, and she wondered how he could possibly look so calm after what had just happened. 

A sudden rage ignited in her belly and Tori just glared at him before stalking off, intent on trying to catch Jade. But by the time she reached the parking lot, Jade’s car was gone and she knew that she was too late. 

~

It was almost 2 AM when Tori’s phone ringing woke her from a deep sleep and she answered the phone without even checking the caller ID, squinting at the brightness of the screen. “Hello?” she mumbled, sleep still thick in her voice. 

“Tori?” 

Instantly awakened by the sound of her voice, Tori sat up and blindly fumbled for the switch to turn on her bedside lamp. “Jade?” she questioned, her heart already racing at how small and vulnerable she sounded. “Jade, what’s wrong?” 

“I fucked up, Tori. I fucked up really bad,” she sniffled, and Tori’s eyes widened when she realized that Jade was crying. Jade West was crying on the phone with  _ her _ . Things must be really bad. 

“Jade, whatever it is, we can fix it, okay? Do you want me to come over?” she asked, already looking for her clothes from that day. 

“I’m in the hospital, Tori,” she whispered, and Tori’s blood froze, her breathing stopping altogether as she tried to process her words. “I’m… I’m dying.” 

And just like that, Tori’s heart stopped along with the rest of her body. “Jade, no,” she whispered, her fingers turning white as she gripped the phone too tightly. “This can’t-- _ you can’t _ …” 

“I am,” she sighed heavily, and then Tori could hear it: the beeping of monitors, the voices in the background, and she sat down heavily on the bed. “I’m dying and I just wanted to talk to you one last time.” 

“Jade, where are you? I’ll come--” 

“No, Tori, that’s the last thing I want,” she said, her voice firm and determined once again. “I don’t want you to see that. I just needed to tell you that I’ve been a stupid, scared idiot all these years,” she told her, the words tumbling out of her mouth and into the receiver. 

“Jade…”

“Shut up and listen,” she said, but there was no malice to her words. “I was jealous of you at first and I was a total gank. But I haven’t hated you for a long time, not since I came to you with the broken kite and you helped me get Beck back.” She hesitated, but Tori stayed quiet, wanting to hear what she had to say. 

“I fucking love you, Tori. I don’t know when I started or even when I noticed because it just  _ happened  _ and god, I hated it. I didn’t want to notice the way your smile made my heart skip a beat or how your laugh was like fucking music. I didn’t want to feel better when you were around, so I tried to make you stay away as much as I could.” 

She chuckled, a cold, bitter sound that made Tori’s stomach twist. “I thought I’d have time to figure all this shit out, you know? But I guess I don’t and it’s probably really fucking selfish of me to tell you this now, but I just couldn’t let you think I hated you forever, Tori. The only person I’ve ever really hated was myself and now I guess I won’t have to worry about that anymore.” 

Tori was openly crying now, clutching her phone tightly in her grip. “Jade, you have to tell me where you are, please. I need to see you. God, I feel the same way about you, I have for a while.” 

“Really?” Jade asked, her tone skeptical. But Tori had long-ago learned what Jade’s acting looked and sounded like, and she could hear the hint of hope that not even she could hide in her voice. 

“Really,” she said firmly. “Please, Jade, tell me where you are.” 

“I can’t,” she sighed. “Please don’t push this, Tori. I’m not going to make it much longer and I’m slipping already. I almost hurt you at school today,” she said, her tone mournful. “I didn’t mean to but I couldn’t control myself. They said that’s a symptom.” 

“A symptom of  _ what _ , Jade?” she asked desperately. “What’s going on?” 

“Fucking rabies,” Jade growled. “Can you believe that shit? I’m going to die because my bunny bit my face last week. And the worst part is that he’s going to die too,” she frowned, and Tori could imagine the distress she was feeling. She’d seen the Slap video, she knew just how much Jade loved that bunny and it broke her heart for her, not that it needed any help breaking. 

“Jade…” 

“I love you, Tori,” she sighed. “Just remember that, okay? And I’m sorry.”

And with a click, she was gone. 

Tori immediately dialed the number back but the phone went straight to voicemail and she cursed, knowing she’d turned the phone off. She spent the rest of the night frantically calling every hospital she could think of, but none would tell her  _ anything  _ and she cursed her lack of a driver’s license, knowing that no one in her house would take her around to check for her either. 

It was morning when the house phone rang, and several moments later, Holly came to the door with tears in her eyes. 

“Honey…” 

That was all it took for Tori to break down, crawling into her mom’s lap and letting her rock her like she was a child again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Bit by rabid animal (Death)


	9. Stop... Or Go?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tori decides to give Jade a sign.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one wasn't so much a prompt as something that WasabiDuckies said that has stuck with me ever since I read it and I finally got around to writing. Enjoy!

It was a nice feeling, being drunk. Tori’s head was fuzzy and warm and she’d never felt happier as she slowly walked through the house. The music from downstairs was more tolerable up here and she hummed along as she slowly explored the rooms. 

The first few were boring, just your typical bedrooms and a guest room. But when she pushed open the last door at the end of the hall, she smiled and ducked inside. 

She’d been told that Cameron Thomas had a collection of street signs decorating his room; that was the entire reason she’d ever come to this party, after all. But she still hadn’t been prepared for just how many of them there would be, covering almost every inch of his walls. 

But her eyes landed on one in particular, hanging dead center over his bed, and she wasted no time in climbing up and beginning to figure out how to get it done. Her reflexes significantly slowed by the alcohol in her system, she fumbled a few times but eventually managed to get it down, falling backwards on the bed and giggling for a few minutes before she managed to get up. 

Taking her phone out of her pocket, she closed Cameron’s door and locked it so she wouldn’t be disturbed before dialing the familiar number. “Can you come get me?” she asked warmly, another giggle escaping her as she looked at the stop sign in her arms. “Please?” she whined, sounding a bit too much like Cat but being too far gone to really care. 

She grinned as she closed the phone, having been hung up on but only after a muttered agreement. Now, all that she had to do was wait… and figure out how to sneak out through a crowded house party with a stolen stolen stop sign. Hmm. 

As it turned out, when her phone rang to announce the arrival of her ride, Tori didn’t have to do much sneaking. Nobody paid her any mind at all as she walked through the house and out the back door, sneaking around to the front and walking in front of the familiar car, holding the stop sign up in front of her so that Jade could see it. 

“Vega, what the hell?” Jade groaned as she climbed out of the car. “What is this?” she asked, eyeing the sign suspiciously. “Tell me you didn’t take that off an intersection.” 

“Of course I didn’t! People could get hurt,” Tori frowned. But she was only able to hold it for a few seconds before she grinned again. “It’s Cameron’s and I took it. It’s a present for you.” 

Jade’s eyebrow slowly raised, leaning against her car and folding her arms over her chest. “For me? Why?” 

“You know why,” she giggled, rolling her eyes when Jade didn’t budge. “Because when we sang together on our date, you said your sign was stop!” she laughed, waving the sign around in front of her. 

She was rewarded when Jade’s lips twitched into a smile before she rolled her eyes and groaned. “Oh my god, you are the lamest person I’ve ever met,” she told her, but she was still smiling and Tori smirked. 

“You know you love me,” she taunted, moving closer and letting the sign fall to the ground. 

“Vega--” 

“The sign’s right there if you want it,” Tori said breathlessly, planting her hands on both sides of the hood as she leaned in towards Jade. “Just tell me and I will.” 

Jade’s mouth worked soundlessly, her gaze dropping to Tori’s lips before meeting her gaze again. “You’re drunk,” she mumbled, shaking her head. “We can’t.” 

“I’m not asking you to fuck me, Jade,” Tori smirked, feeling triumph shoot through her veins when Jade looked up at her sharply, clearly shocked by her vulgarity. “Not yet, anyway. I just want a kiss,” she said, cupping her cheek and moving closer, closer, until… 

Jade sucked in a sharp breath as their lips met, but Tori could feel her relaxing into her at the same time. The kiss was rough but tender, Jade letting her control everything. But when Tori moaned softly after a few moments, Jade pulled back, the sight of her flushed cheeks enough to ease her disappointment. 

“I guess your sign isn’t stop with me,” Tori hummed, feeling intoxicated by something that had nothing to do with the alcohol she’d consumed. 

“Tori--” 

“Can we do the whole talking thing tomorrow?” she asked with a goofy smile, wrapping her hand around Jade’s wrist and pulling her up. “I’m tired and I just wanna enjoy this.” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Jade rolled her eyes, but she was smiling too as she let Tori tug her towards the car. 

“Hey, Vega,” she laughed, gently removing Tori’s hand from her wrist. 

“Yeah, West?” she pouted at the loss of contact. 

“If you think I’m leaving without the stop sign, you’re wrong,” she smirked, going back to pick it up from the dirt and shoving it into the backseat before climbing in beside Tori. 

When Tori reached out for her hand, she let her. 


	10. Dream Turned Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one came from a less-traditional but oh-so-fun prompt method! One wheel said to kill Tori, the other said horseback riding. This is what I came up with!

Jade had fully expected Tori to laugh at her when she'd managed to weasel out her childhood dream of riding a horse after having a few too many drinks one night. What she hadn't expected, though in hindsight, she _really_ should have, was that she'd be standing warily in front of a horse three days later.

"Are you serious?" she asked for the hundredth time, shaking her head, though she couldn't hide the smile on her face. Vega saw, because _of course_ she did, and her face lit up as she gave her own horse a pat.

"It'll be fun, Jade," she said sweetly, climbing up on the horse with a little help from the nice instructor assigned to teach them. Jade felt a surge of jealousy when he touched her, but she brushed it away, knowing it was baseless. And wasn't _that_ a change, she thought with a small smile, being able to trust someone like that.

Then it was her turn and her smile turned into a scowl when she found the process nowhere near as easy as Tori had made it look. The instructor had to touch her far too much for her liking, but she bit back her retorts in favor of reminding herself that Tori was trying to do something nice for her and she shouldn't antagonize her by biting anyone's head off. Not yet, anyway.

Finally, she was up and after a while of walking around the ring, the instructor deemed them ready to take on the trail.

Riding wasn't as hard as she'd thought it might be, Jade thought, and riding with Tori was kind of nice. They were talking, the instructor far enough back to be out of earshot but close enough to keep an eye on them, and it was actually almost romantic in a way that Jade didn't hate.

"Let's race," Tori announced suddenly with a mischievous smile, and Jade rolled her eyes. "I don't think we're ready for that, Tori," she said, but it was too late. Tori had already urged her horse into a gallop and she frowned as the instructor called out for her to stop from behind them, a strange dread twisting in her gut.

"Tori, wait!" she called out before cursing and pushing her own horse into a gallop. The instructor was quick to catch up and pass her, Tori having disappeared from view, and Jade's breath caught in her throat when he came galloping back just a moment later, grave concern etched onto his features. Her horse slowed its' pace to a walk at a command, and Jade felt her blood turn to ice in her veins. "What?!" she demanded when he hurried off his horse and caught the reigns of her own, urging them to a stop.

"What is it?" "You can't go any further," he said firmly, pulling his phone out and dialing. "There's been an accident. We need an ambulance immediately," he said, and then a faint roaring in her ears drowned him out completely.

No. No, no, no, no.

Jade practically fell off her horse, shoving away the instructor's arms as he tried to stop her, needing to see what had happened for herself. As soon as she'd picked herself up from the ground, she set off at a run.

It seemed to take forever for her to find the scene and yet not nearly long enough.

Tori's horse was calmly eating grass, tied to a tree nearby while Tori... Jade's stomach heaved and she turned around, throwing up into the field as her chest ripped apart.

Long, brunette hair was spilled over a large, red-stained rock, blood spilling down its' surface and surrounding the ground nearby. Tori's eyes were closed and her chest wasn't moving, her arm bent at an unnatural angle and Jade had seen enough death to know what it looked like. 

"Jade," the instructor said quietly, and Jade jerked away when he tried to touch her arm. "Jade, I'm sorry. The paramedics are on their way. She must have gotten spooked and threw her off."

"It's my fault," she whispered, staring blankly at the ground in front of her, knowing that if she looked up she'd have to see _her_. "I told her that I'd always wanted to ride a stupid horse and I got her killed."

"You couldn't have known," he told her, but it didn't change anything.

The paramedics arrived soon after and Jade rode in the ambulance with them, holding tightly onto Tori's cooling hand and whispering apologies that would never stop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had a lot of people asking about the Jori Discord. I don't want to clog up my comments with links, so please find me at amandadawnblock on Tumblr! Send me an ask/message and I'll be happy to send you an invite!


	11. Bubble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Jade falls asleep in Tori's lap and Tori has a conversation with someone else while stroking Jade's hair as if they were a sleeping cat.

Jade was drifting. 

It was her girlfriends’ fault, she’d decided. When Cat had pleaded to go to the beach for the day, Tori had joined forces and with both of them as a team? She’d never stood a chance. 

She still hated the ocean, so she’d stayed on the safety of the beach while Cat and Tori played in the surf. Keeping a watchful eye on the both of them, she’d even cracked a smile once or twice when they started wrestling, Tori taking Cat down and tickling her until she was shrieking and begging her to stop. 

Sometimes, she still couldn’t believe this was her life. 

After the beach, they’d had hot dogs from a place that looked just gross enough that Tori gave it her adorable (and  _ no _ , Jade would never admit to thinking that word, not even about Tori) look of distaste but didn’t put up too much of a fight about. 

They’d gone to the boardwalk next, riding everything and keeping Cat tucked in-between them where possible because the redhead was still terrified of a lot of things, but she swore she felt safe in the middle of them. 

Jade might not ever say it, but she understands how Cat feels. She’s never known what it felt to be a part of something before, to be so needed. Even with Beck, she knew she needed him more than he’d ever need her but now, for the first time in her life, she feels like she’s on equal footing. 

Sprawled out on Tori’s sofa with her head in Tori’s lap, Jade is drifting, half-dreaming about their day at the beach and letting Tori and Cat’s voices lull her into sleep. Tori’s hand stroking her hair is helping too, and she idly wonders if she’s ever told her that she really likes that.

“Can you believe Jade took us to the beach!” Cat exclaimed with a clap of her hands, making Jade smirk as she woke up a little at her loud voice and Tori’s equally loud shushing noise. 

“Cat! She’s sleeping,” Tori whispered, reaching out for the redhead’s hand with a sigh as her face fell. 

“I’m sorry, Tori. I forgot,” she whispered, her lower lip trembling. 

“Come here,” Tori sighed, gently tugging on her arm until Cat stood up. Letting go of her hand, she raised her arm up as the redhead squeezed into the space beside Tori and snuggled into her. Letting her arm drop, she wrapped it around Cat and pulled her in even closer, dropping a kiss on the top of her head. 

“It’s okay, Cat. I’m sorry for being too loud,” she told her, and Jade couldn’t help but smile, her face hidden from view by Tori’s shirt. Once upon a time, Jade had been the only one who could calm Cat down so quickly, but Tori was a natural at knowing just what to say and do too. 

At first, Jade had been jealous because Cat was  _ hers _ , the only true friend she’d ever had and the idea of Tori taking that away from her had terrified her. But as time passed and feelings grew, she’d soon come to realize the truth that love shared was  _ not  _ love halved, and what they shared between the three of them was every bit as real as anything else. 

“Can we get Freezy Queen later?” Cat asked, her voice already returning to her usual upbeat tone, clearly pleased with Tori’s question. 

“When Jade wakes up, sure,” Tori grinned, giving her another squeeze. 

“Kay kay!” 

“I’m sorry again for being too loud. I love you,” Tori told her, kissing her gently. 

Jade knew what Tori wasn’t saying, that she felt terrible because both of them knew what Cat’s home life was like. She had to deal with loud, angry voices too much in her life and when either of them yelled or even raised their tone, the guilt was almost unbearable, even for Jade.

“It’s okay, Tori. I know you didn’t mean it,” Cat smiled, reaching over to gently run her hand over Jade’s hair. 

Jade smiled at the feeling of both of their hands playing with her hair and let herself slip a little deeper, not even realizing it when she actually fell asleep. She knew that there would be things to fix when she woke up, more excitement from a sugared-up Cat to deal with, but for the moment she was content to exist in this little bubble with the loves of her life. 


	12. It Wasn't Cheating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not a prompt. Jade's lying to herself again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this happened. I was reading a really angsty one shot with a similar premise to this (One Good Thing by dontyouwannadance to give credit where credit is due) and got inspired. I usually really dislike fics that have Jade cheating on Beck because I find it out of character, but as a writer, I wanted to challenge myself. (And I can really see Jade telling herself this and living in denial land.)

It wasn’t cheating. 

So Jade had turned it into an alarmingly regular habit to blow off her boyfriend to hang out with Tori. They were friends, right? Not that Jade would ever admit that to anyone, still treating Tori the same as ever at school and, by some unspoken agreement, Tori going along with it and then inviting her back in once it was safe for Jade to be herself. 

So she had started spending most of her nights in Tori’s bed, or Tori in her own, the first person besides Beck or Cat to step foot in her room and definitely the only one allowed to stay so long. 

So they usually ended up wrapped up in each other so tightly that Jade would wake up unsure of where she ended and Tori began. 

It wasn’t cheating. 

So Jade had started telling Tori things that she’d never told  _ anyone  _ in her life before, not even Beck. She spilled all of her darkest secrets late at night, holding Tori like the lifeline she tried so hard to pretend she wasn’t, and the other girl never said a word. It was like she knew that the sound of her voice would break whatever spell was between them and send Jade running. 

So Tori remained quiet and Jade told her everything, letting Tori’s hands do the talking for her and finding it easy to breathe for the first time in a while. 

It wasn’t cheating. 

So most mornings Jade managed to wake up first and would just watch Tori sleep. She was peaceful in her sleep, unguarded and beautiful in a way that made her heart beat faster. 

So what if her eyes would often stray down to stare at her lips, wondering at the taste of them. It was forbidden, she knew that. She was no cheater; she knew what it was to be cheated on and she’d never do it to anyone, especially not Beck. 

It wasn’t cheating. 

But deep in her heart, Jade knew better. 

An emotional affair was just as damaging as a physical one, but she didn’t let herself think about that. 

She wasn’t gay. She didn’t like Tori  _ in that way _ , she repeated to herself like a mantra as she watched the sleeping girl who now held every broken piece of her that had turned her into Jade West. 

So what if Tori now held the power to destroy her at any time. She’d earned the power, somehow sliding between all of her defenses and razor-sharp edges, getting sliced at every turn, but she’d never given up. 

So what if Jade often wished that her own boyfriend would be more like Tori. Beck was easy, uncomplicated. He didn’t push, mostly, and he was safe. He wouldn’t push past her boundaries until she spilled her guts to him like Tori. 

But somewhere, deep within her stomach, something writhed as she realized that she kept comparing him to Tori. 

It wasn’t cheating. 

But that was the biggest damn lie she’d ever told herself.


	13. The Meet Cute

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Tori runs across the road to pet Jade's pet

"What is that idiot doing?" Jade questioned with a frown, watching a skinny brunette run across the road without even looking. Luckily for her, the road was pretty vacant at this hour, although she did get honked at when she almost ran in front of a car. 

"HEY! YOU IDIOT!" Jade yelled, her pit bull staying asleep beside her. Tawny was used to her constant shouting and it didn't even phase her anymore, the year-old puppy not even stirring at the sound.

The other girl was close enough to hear her now, but Jade didn't bother lowering her volume much. "What the hell's the matter with you?" she demanded to know as she slowly came to a stop in front of her. 

"I just wanted to pet him," she said with a sheepish smile, clasping her hands behind her back.

"You nearly got hit by a car to run over to a strange woman and a pit bull," Jade deadpanned, raising an eyebrow. "You must have a death wish."

"No, I just love pit bulls," Tori whined, glancing longingly at Tawna, who had woken up and was wagging her tail as she stared at Tori. "Can I please pet her?"

Jade didn't want to admit it but something about the way she stared at her with wide, pleading eyes and chewing her lower lip nervously got to her and she groaned when Tawny whined, staring straight ahead. 

"Fine," she huffed, watching as Tori immediately knelt down and reached out for the dog, who licked her hand and jumped up on her to cover her face with kisses. "But you could at least tell me your name," she snapped, surprised even at herself. 

"I'm Tori," she said with a grin, glancing back at Jade and getting knocked over in the process. 

"Jade," she said shortly, hesitating as she watched Tawny take to Tori easily. The pup hadn't taken to anyone like that before, one of the reasons Jade had been drawn to her in the shelter. She knew what it was like to feel alone and unwanted, putting a guard up to protect herself. "And that's Tawny."

"It's nice to meet you, Jade," Tori grinned as she managed to get back up.

“Yeah, whatever,” Jade smirked, coming to a decision. “I was about to go have lunch inside.”

“Aww,” Tori pouted, reluctantly standing up when Jade did. “I guess I should go then,” she sighed, scratching behind Tawny’s ears as she gave Jade a reluctant smile. 

“Just come on,” Jade groaned, turning her back so she didn’t have to see the huge grin on Tori’s face as they went inside the house.


	14. Together Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Suicide  
> MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH
> 
> No prompt, only angst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Suicide, Major Character Death
> 
> I have no idea where this came from, it just flowed out of me when I started itching to write a bit of angst. Please, please, please do not read if suicide is a trigger for you.

"You need to let her go, Tor," Trina sighed, hugging her baby sister close to her. "I know it's hard, but you can't keep going on like this. When's the last time you had a full meal?"

Tori sniffled, resting her head on Trina's chest and letting her comfort her. She was emotionally exhausted and it showed in the dark circles under her eyes and the gaunt appearance her face had taken on. It had been almost a year since she had accidentally run a red light and been t-boned, the other car directly hitting the passenger side and nearly flipping the car. While Tori had come out of the accident mostly unscathed, Jade...

Swallowing, she angrily brushed her tears away.

Jade had been in a coma for eleven months and twenty-two days. She was brain-dead , the doctors all said so, and she should pull the plug. But when Tori sat beside the bed, holding her limp hand and talking to her, it was as if she was still there with her. She knew that Trina was right, that she needed to let her go and move on, but she didn't know what life was without Jade anymore. She didn't want to find out. "Tori, please," Trina whispered, kissing the top of her head before pulling her back. "Just sign the paper. You can come stay with me and we'll get through it together. Jade wouldn't want you living like this, you know that, don't you?"

"I know," she breathed, wiping her tears away even as more streamed down her face. It had been months since she'd had a proper meal, choosing to spend all her time by Jade's side and just eating whatever the doctors brought for her. She'd lost weight, her clothes all baggy and nearing being dangerously underweight.

She knew Jade wouldn't want this for her, but she was terrified to let her go.

Reaching a conclusion, she gave Trina a tiny nod. Part of her felt guilty for her plan, knowing that it was selfish and would hurt everyone even more, but mostly she just felt relief. Going through the motions, she signed the papers and said goodbye to her wife, holding her hand as she flatlined, her body unable to function without the help of the machine. Sensing Trina's suspicious gaze, she tried to act as normal as possible, which wasn't hard as her heart had stopped the second Jade's did.

After hours spent finishing things up at the hospital and convincing Trina she was fine, her sister finally agreed to drop her off at her apartment.

Tori wasted no time in changing into Jade's favorite black silk pajamas, spritzing her perfume on and cuddling with her pillow hugged to her chest. With the scent of her beloved surrounding her and a photo of her and Jade, arm-in-arm and laughing on the beach in her sight, she reached for the gun her father had given them when they got the apartment. _"_

_You can't be too careful," he'd said with a wide smile. "Two beautiful young girls like yourselves living alone."_

Tori refused to think about that anymore, slowly pressing the gun to her temple and breathing a sigh of relief as her eyes met Jade's in the photograph. "I'm coming," she whispered, closing her eyes as her finger slowly squeezed on the trigger and then, there was nothing


	15. Quiet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PROMPT: Break-up. "You have my heart. I want it back."

It’s quiet. 

Too quiet, she thinks as she slowly approaches the person she came to see. The only sound comes from the slow, steady beeping of the monitors and for a second, she’s tempted to open the door to let in some of the noise.

But she doesn’t, choosing instead to sit in the chair beside the bed and take her lover’s limp hand in hers. 

For a split second, she thinks that she feels it twitch and her heart leaps in her chest only to sink a second later when she realizes it was just her imagination. Again. 

“Hey baby,” she says, not bothering to lower her voice. She needs it to not be so _quiet_. The sound of her voice fills the room and helps a little, though she’s still uncomfortable. “I’m sorry I haven’t come by in a while.” 

She pauses, smoothing her hair back from her face and kissing her forehead gently. It’s as if she’s waiting for an answer, the way she doesn’t speak again but just looks at her for a moment before continuing. 

“It’s been four years since the accident,” she sighs, her voice tight as she tries to fight back tears. It’s a futile effort, she knows, but she tries anyway. “No one knows why you won’t wake up. Why won’t you come back to me?” she whispers, gently stroking her cheek. 

It’s been four years. Four years since she’d gotten the call. 

“ _There’s been an accident…”_

Four years since she’s seen her wife’s beautiful eyes. Four years since she’s heard her tell her that she loves her. Four years that she’s spent most of in this very hospital room, pleading with her to come back. 

Four years that have passed both slowly and far too quickly. She’s gotten used to sleeping alone, to only living a half-life in a state of waiting, constantly waiting, always waiting… 

Four years of a quiet so impenetrable that it drives her mad.

Four years. That’s how long it’s taken her to give up, and she can’t help the tears that fall as she prays for forgiveness for being so weak. 

Snatching her hand back as she remembers why she’s here, she whimpers at the sudden pain in her chest. “I’m sorry, but I can’t do this anymore,” she forces out, the words tasting like ash in her mouth. “I can’t keep living in this limbo forever and I don’t think you’d want me to... You have my heart… I want it back.” 

The words, though painful, feel almost freeing in a way and she closes her eyes as she gently sets her hand back on the bed and stands up. It feels as though a weight’s been lifted and she knows that if she stays any longer, the guilt will overwhelm her and she won’t be able to leave. 

Leaning down, she presses her lips to hers in a soft, lingering kiss before whispering, “Goodbye.”

She leaves the hospital in a daze.

It’s not until a month later that she gets an envelope slipped under her door. She opens it curiously, unfolding the sheet of paper curiously and slowly sliding down the door to the ground. 

There’s a beautifully drawn heart on the paper, colored in vibrant red. Beside it sits an equally beautiful heart, this one colored in the deepest shade of black. 

Below them both, in her lover’s unmistakable handwriting, it just says: 

_You always had them both. I’m sorry._

She sobs.


	16. Masochist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andre calls Tori out after Jade Gets Crushed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! This is kind of a prompt fill that will be included at the end. Basically, it was an idea that was tossed out on the discord last night and I ran with it. We need more Tandre BroTP in our lives, right? Right. 
> 
> Set right after they performed 365 Days in Jade Gets Crushed. I really haven't written Andre outside of Making It Shine, so I'd appreciate any thoughts on how I did!

"So were you ever going to tell me that you have a crush on Jade too?" 

Tori stopped dead in her tracks, hardly able to breathe at Andre's unexpected question. Although she knows it's futile, she tries to play it off when she can think again, chuckling. "A crush on Jade? Andre, don't be ridiculous." 

"Girl, you know you can't fool me. You sang that song to her just as much as I did." 

"Because you asked me to!" Tori whined, hoping he'll drop it but knowing him well enough to know he won't. "I don't have a crush on Jade!" The words don't even sound believable to her own ears and her shoulders slumped as she realized it. 

"Come on, Tori. I heard the way you were talking about why I couldn't like her. You didn't even have to think about it because you've thought it before, haven't you? And what's up with the Jade clothes and the wig, huh? That's not normal, muchacha." 

Tori groaned and shook her head, stealing a glance up ahead of them to make sure Beck and Jade were out of earshot. "I know it's wrong, Andre, that's why I didn't want to tell you," she sighed. 

"Girl, of course it's wrong! It's Jade," he teased, his smile dropping when Tori's face fell. "Hey, that was a joke," he told her, wrapping an arm around her in an awkward hug as they kept walking. 

"You said your song would help, but it didn't," Tori whined, accepting the comfort anyway. 

"Hey, I wrote the song, you just sang it," he pointed out. "Maybe you should try to write one for yourself and see if it helps."

"Maybe," Tori sighed. She didn't want to admit it, but the idea of losing her crush on Jade bothered her more than it should. Sure, it was screwed up and she was pretty sure she was a masochist for feeling so much about a girl who seemed to live to torture her, but she'd seen the softer side of Jade too. She was a beautiful mess of contradictions and fucked up though it might be, Tori didn't know if she was ready to let go of her feelings for her.

Feelings that she was pretty damn sure were much more than what qualified as a crush. 

"But hey, you don't have to do anything," Andre said, seeming to follow where her thoughts were going. "Just be careful, girl. And talk to me next time, you don't have to keep this stuff bottled up." 

"Okay, Andre," Tori smiled, relieved that he got her so well. 

"Anytime, muchacha. That's what friends are for," he grinned. "Thanks for helping me get over Jade, that must have been weird for you."

Tori rolled her eyes but grinned, playfully punching him in the arm once she'd ducked out of his embrace. "You have no idea."

And with that, the subject was dropped as they caught up to Beck and Jade, Tori's heart skipping a beat when their eyes met for a brief moment. 

Okay, so maybe she is a masochist, but she'd take all the pain in the world if it meant that she got those butterflies anytime Jade looked at her the way she did when no one else was watching. 

She'd almost swear the other girl might feel the same way she did but then Beck said something and they're back to their corners, playing their respective roles, and Tori knows it's wrong but she just can't help but wonder if she'll ever find out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind-of-prompt: There most def was a bit after the episode after they performed Andre pulls Tori to the side and is like "you can't lie to me anymore"


	17. Summer Seduction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not prompt-based. Tori's a gay mess when Jade orders her to put sunscreen on her back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies to anyone who has subscribed to this... I've fallen behind on editing and posting these lately, so there's going to be a few notifications today, haha! This is one of three, maybe four. I have an angsty one that I haven't quite decided if I want to put in here or not yet. Anyways, just wanted to warn you! Hope you enjoy! 
> 
> Also, a side note: This one is not prompt-based. I wanted to write something soft and it turned into this. Everything always has to be a competition with these two, I swear. I love them.

"Hey, Vega. Get over here and get my back." 

Tori blinked as she turned to face Jade, her mouth going dry as she saw her lying face down on the beach towel, her black bikini top undone so that the entire expanse of her back was entirely on display. 

"What?" she asked stupidly, sure she must have heard the other girl wrong. 

"I said get over here and get my back," Jade lifted her head up and shot a glare her way, making Tori hurry over. "Make sure you get all of it, I don't want to get burned," she ordered, putting her head back down as Tori swallowed hard. 

Squirting sunscreen into her hand and rubbing them together, she took a deep breath as she regarded Jade's body. The body that she'd thought about far too often to be normal, the body that she was about to put her bare hands on. 

_ Oh, boy. Or rather, oh, girl. _

Seeing Jade's muscles tense, Tori squeezed her eyes shut and knelt down beside her, hesitantly sliding her hands over her shoulders first. Jade’s raven hair had pulled up into a bun to make the process easier, and Tori was careful to avoid the loose strands as she worked on her neck. 

Okay, she could do this, she thought as she continued to work the sunscreen into Jade’s soft skin, enjoying the privilege of being allowed to touch her in such a manner even as it sent tingles shooting through her body. As she grew more comfortable, she began to turn it into more of a massage, working her fingers into her smooth flesh as she moved farther down her body. 

She stopped abruptly when her fingers touched the top of Jade’s bikini bottoms, her heart pounding in her chest as the tingles exploded into a fiery desire that threatened to consume her. Swallowing hard, Tori squeezed her eyes closed briefly as she fought the temptation to dip her fingers below the waistband and…

_ No. No, Tori, that’s gay.  _

Sucking in a sharp breath and hoping Jade hadn't noticed her hesitation, she hurriedly moved her hands to just below her frenemy-turned-crush’s ass, her breathing growing heavier as she worked the sunscreen into the exposed flesh. She regained control of herself as she worked her way down her legs, slowing slightly as she neared the finish line in an effort to prolong the excuse to touch Jade like this even though it was killing her.

Tori was almost sad to finish, her fingers slowly trailing over the last inch of Jade’s legs for a fraction of a second too long before she finally pulled away. "All done, Jade," she said cheerfully, using every bit of her acting ability not to let on how affected she was. Standing up, she shot Jade a smile as she rubbed her hands on her swimsuit to get the sunscreen residue off before hurrying away without another word, desperate to try to find some relief away from the always disarming presence of her crush. 

So intent was she on getting away that she never noticed the sweat beading on the back of Jade’s neck, a rare phenomenon indeed for the girl who swore she didn’t sweat, or the way she was slightly squirming on the towel in Tori’s wake.

She didn’t see Jade’s triumphant smirk as she watched Tori walk away, admiring her ass with every step she took. Her experiment had been successful and she was already imagining a hundred ways she could seduce Tori before this trip was over. 


	18. Lock Screen Daze

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *Modified Prompt* Jade likes to steal Tori's phone to change her lockscreen to mess with her. But what happens when she gets an unexpected surprise?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Just a quick note to say the reason I specified "Modified prompt" is that the original prompt is basically the whole ficlet and frankly, I'm too lazy to type it out and it would spoil it. Enjoy!

Jade smirked at her sleeping girlfriend as she crawled out of bed, careful not to disturb her as she stood up, tucking her in carefully so that she would stay warm and comfortable. 

Walking around the bed, she kept one eye on Tori as she picked up Tori’s phone and crept out of the room. 

It was an ongoing game that she liked to play, changing Tori's lockscreen. She tried not to do it more than once or twice a month so that it didn't lose the element of surprise. She did so enjoy the way Tori would smack her arm even though she couldn't stop giggling at the mocking images she'd find, but her favorite were when she would choose stills from horror movies. The way Tori would scream and then come yell at her in Spanish was music to her ears and Jade always made it up to her eventually. 

Once the coffee had finished brewing, she poured herself a cup and stirred in the two sugars before sitting down at the table. Taking a sip, she pondered what she should change the photo to today before tapping the screen to wake the phone up. 

She nearly choked on her favorite beverage at the image that greeted her. 

Jade was sitting on the sofa and Tori was cuddled up so closely that she may as well have been in her lap, her arms wrapped around Jade's neck and one of Jade's arms over her shoulders, holding her close. Her other hand was over Tori's in her lap, Tori's face tucked into the crook of her neck, and Jade's head resting on top of hers. They were both fast asleep and Jade couldn't help but smile as she took in how content they both looked.

It wasn't a look she was used to on herself, although the feeling had grown more normal in the years she'd been with her girlfriend. Her mask was nowhere to be seen, stolen by the soft countenance of sleep, and she knew that it was all due to the girl in her arms. 

She remembered the night well, the ugly Christmas sweaters they both were wearing tipping her off. It had been their first Christmas together and although Cat had been the only one in town at the time, they’d had a fun time together and she remembered waking up sometime after three AM in this position. She hadn’t known that Cat had taken a photo or obviously sent it to Tori, but she couldn’t help but be glad that she had.

Taking another sip of her coffee, Jade smiled softly and turned the phone back off, deciding to leave the phone alone just for today. It was just the nice thing to do, she assured herself as she finished off the coffee and went back into the bedroom, putting her phone back on the charger. It had nothing to do with the soft warmth she felt in her belly when she thought about Tori using a photo of them as her lockscreen.

And so what if she crawled back into bed and snuggled up behind Tori again? She could run a little late today, she decided with a satisfied smile as she closed her eyes and let the peacefulness wash over her again.


	19. New Year's Eve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on two prompts: Tori and Jade go separately to a New Year’s Eve party, and end up standing next to each other during the countdown to midnight.  
> Tori and Jade get a little too drunk at a New Year’s Eve party...

You don’t know why you let yourself be dragged to this dumb party. 

So it’s New Year’s Eve, big fucking deal. Another year to be miserable, you think to yourself as you down a gulp of your sickly-sweet drink with a grimace. Even at just barely eighteen years old, you’ve already figured out that the so-called holiday is a sham designed to keep people happy and able to ignore how the passage of time is ultimately meaningless. 

You’ve never understood people’s fascination with time as it is, you think as you take another drink, enjoying the pleasant warmth spreading through your body. You’ve lost count of how many drinks you’ve had, the fuzziness of your head making it hard to care as you drain the last of it and go to get another one. 

You mix it yourself, ignoring the offers from a few guys to do it for you because, drunk as you are, you’re not an idiot and you still remember the horror stories you’ve heard from similar parties. And then it’s back to the crowd again, losing yourself in it as you drink and try to remember what you were thinking about. 

Oh, right. Time. An invention of humanity, time has never mattered much to you. You live, you die, and that’s that. It’s simple, uncomplicated in a way that nothing else is, and so you can’t really understand why it seems to be such a problem for other people. As a result, this hasn’t ever been a holiday you’ve cared about, though you pretend to on nights such as tonight. 

And when the music is abruptly cut off, the countdown beginning to play over the speakers instead, you look around to see who’s standing beside you purely out of habit, you tell yourself. It has nothing to do with the fact that you’ve been broken up with Beck for almost seven months and you kind of miss being kissed. That’d be pathetic, and you’re anything but pathetic. 

But when your eyes lock on caramel brown, you can feel your own widen in surprise, your fingers tightening around the red cup in your hands, and you know that you’re only lying to yourself. 

~ 

You’re not sure why you let Andre talk you into coming to this party, but here you are anyway. The drink in your hand isn’t your first, but you find it hard to care as you survey the room trying to find your friend who disappeared almost as soon as you’d arrived. 

It’s not your first party, but it’s pretty close. You’ve always been hesitant about coming to these, having heard many a horror story from your dad about things that happen at them and worrying about him finding you there. As it turns out, the latter wasn’t a problem; you were honest with him when he asked where you were going and he just made you promise that you wouldn’t let any of your friends drive you home if they’d been drinking, which you’d already planned on because you’re not an idiot. Still, it’s nice to know that you can call him if it comes down to it because you have no idea where Andre is or what he’s doing and you’re starting to feel a little silly, standing in the middle of the crowded living room doing nothing. 

You sigh as you take the last drink and peer into the empty cup contemplatively. You’re starting to feel the rush and you wonder if you should stop, but you decide that one more can’t hurt and make your way to the kitchen. You’re just tipsy enough to make the process harder than it ought to be, but you manage and soon you’re making your way back out to the party with a fresh drink. 

The music is too loud and you can feel your head starting to ache, but it subsides after a few sips of your freshly mixed drink and you glance around the darkened room again. You don’t see anyone you know and you sigh, taking another sip as you pull your Pearphone from your pocket to check the time. 

There’s five minutes to midnight and you hesitate before putting the phone away again, deciding to at least wait until after the countdown to text your dad to come pick you up. Maybe Andre will show up after that and you won’t have to, you think as you take another drink, closing your eyes as you enjoy the burning in your throat. 

You’ve never enjoyed drinking before, but tonight feels different somehow and you find yourself savoring every last detail. 

And then, the music is cut off and an announcement is made before the countdown starts. You open your eyes, blinking in surprise at how fast the five minutes have gone and then your eyes meet a vibrant blue that you would know anywhere and you’d swear your heart stops in your chest. 

Jade West is standing beside you, a red cup that matches your own clutched in her own hand, and she’s staring at you with an expression you’ve never seen her wear before. 

_ Five… four… three… two… one… _

_ HAPPY NEW YEAR!  _

~ 

You don’t know who moves first, Vega or you, but from the second your lips meet, you know that it doesn’t really matter because you’re both  _ clearly  _ into it and  _ fuck _ , you are so screwed. 

Kissing Tori Vega feels like everything you’d ever imagined it would and so much more and you know that you’ll never get enough. Slipping your arms around her, your drink falls to the floor in favor of tangling your hands in her hair. You don’t even care that you probably have an audience because you’ve wanted this for so long and you’re tired of fighting it. 

And when Tori’s eyes wrap around you in kind, you let yourself sink into the kind of bliss you haven’t felt in, well, maybe ever. There’s a slight pang of guilt as you think of Beck and how his embrace had never felt like this, but you push it away quickly, refusing to let anything ruin this moment. 

You don’t know if it’s the alcohol that’s given you this courage, but you do know that you’re tired of fighting your feelings.

And all you can do is hope that Tori feels the same way, though the way she’s kissing you back is enough to let you have that. 

~ 

You’re kissing Jade West. Jade West is kissing you. You and Jade West are  _ kissing. _

No matter how many ways you say it, you can’t quite get it through to your brain that this is real, that this is happening. You’ve spent so long dreaming of this moment and now it’s here and you have no idea how to react. 

Well, besides kissing her back, of course. At least your body is able to keep its senses and do what comes naturally, even if your brain can’t comprehend it. 

You think you might die when Jade’s arms wrap around you, completely ignoring the splash on the back of your legs from what you assume to be her dropped drink because her hands are in your hair and she’s deepening the kiss and  _ god _ , this must be what heaven feels like. 

You can feel eyes on you but you can’t bring yourself to care. Sure, you aren’t out yet, or at least you weren’t, but you really can’t think of a better way to leave the closet than by kissing Jade, even if you both are drunk. The fact that it could be just a New Year’s kiss crosses your mind but is quickly banished when you register that the cheers and excitement have quieted around you. 

This kiss has gone on much too long to be  _ just  _ anything, and it’s enough to make your heart come alive with hope. 

And when Jade finally pulls back because there’s no  _ way  _ you were going to, you meet her gaze and see the same hope in her eyes. Ignoring the stares from everyone else in the room, you take your hand and pull her outside. 

You have no idea what’s going to happen, but the way she quickly laces her fingers in yours and lets you pull her away is enough for now. 


	20. Fantasy Fulfilled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rated M. Jade and Tori decide to indulge in turning a mutual fantasy into reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rated M. Written a while back for the Bad Smut Contest on the Jori discord.

“Vega, I swear to god--”

“Shh,” Tori hissed, her hands pausing just under Jade’s breasts, making the raven-haired girl squirm. “Did you hear that?”

“I didn’t hear anything,” Jade groaned, rolling her eyes. “You’re just being paranoid. The door’s locked and the music is insanely loud out there’s, so shut up already,” she demanded, hardly able to keep her arms against the wall like Tori had ordered.

When the Latina had suggested that they sneak away from the reunion in order to realize one of Jade’s fantasies, the goth had been all too eager. But now, standing against the wall with her shirt and bra hiked up, arms flat against the wall and Tori’s hands still frozen as she concentrated, she was starting to wonder if this was such a great idea at all.

“Hey! Earth to Tori,” Jade demanded, keeping her voice down. “This was your idea, Vega. If you’re seriously this paranoid, we can stop. It was a stupid idea anyway,” she told her, trying to pretend she wasn’t at risk of spontaneous combustion if they left the closet right now.

“Who said I wanted to stop?” Tori grinned, her eyes sparkling wickedly and making Jade suck in a breath. All hesitation gone, she leaned forward to kiss Jade, swallowing the goth’s heady moan as she cupped her breasts, swiping a thumb across a sensitive nipple.

Sliding her tongue into Jade’s mouth, she moved one hand lower while the other continued teasing her nipple, easily finding the hem of Jade’s skirt and tucking her finger into the hem, using it to teasingly pull Jade closer before removing her finger.

“Fuck, Tori,” Jade panted, her cheeks flushed and her eyes more than a little wild as Tori backed up a few steps. They’d been together for months now, but Jade didn’t think she’d ever stop being surprised at just how much of a little minx Tori Vega could be when she set her mind to it.

And she set her mind to it surprisingly often.

Tori just grinned, blushing slightly at the way Jade was looking at her, and it just made Jade want her more. “So, Jade,” she honest-to-god almost purred, and Jade shuddered, “This is your fantasy. What happens next?”

Jade swallowed, licking her lips as she tried to think. “You were on my knees and you pushed my skirt up,” she told her, her voice raspier than usual and thick with desire.

Tori looked all the world like a predator stalking her prey as she moved closer again, slowly lowering herself to kneel in front of Jade. The goth couldn’t help but shudder again as the Latina ran her hands up Jade’s legs, taking the skirt with them until it was bunched around her waist.

Licking her lips as she gazed at Jade’s exposed center, Tori pressed a kiss to the inside of Jade’s thigh and heard her whimper softly. She could see the goth’s hands clenching into fists, her arms almost vibrating from the effort to stay put against the wall and it ignited something deep inside of Tori.

There was, as always, a power in being able to dominate Jade West like this, to have the most feared girl in school trembling under her touch and willing to submit to anything she asked. But, more than that, there was a tenderness that came along with it, a responsibility to her and it was that tenderness that made Tori smile up at her.

“You can touch me,” she told her, her smile widening when Jade’s hands immediately caressed her hair before tangling in it, a groan escaping her lips. “Now what happens?” she asked, completely unsurprised when the goth uses her hands to urge her head forward.

After all, Jade may be a sub, but she’s never been afraid to ask for what she wants.

Tori let her lead, wanting to give her the fantasy she’s dreamed about for so many years. Her knees already hurt and she doesn’t even want to think about the floor she’s kneeling on, but none of that matters when Jade’s grip on her hair tightened at the first swipe of her tongue.

“More,” Jade rasped after a moment, her eyes fluttering closed even as she tried to look down at Tori. “Please,” she said; it wasn’t a plea or anything less than a statement, but it’s a victory for Tori and she knows it.

And, of course, she’s more than happy to oblige.

Letting Jade’s skirt slip from her fingers, Tori smirked as it settled around her head. Jade was right, she mused as she brushed her tongue against the goth’s clit, hearing her moan above her, the sound slightly muffled through the material. This was a pretty damn hot fantasy.

Tori plunges two, then three fingers into Jade without warning, wincing slightly when she moans a little loudly. But at this point, she’s past her fear of getting caught; all that matters is getting Jade off and she can tell she’s getting close by the way she’s tugging more roughly on her hair.

Angling her long fingers just right, she finds the spot she knows will send the goth over the edge and applies just the right amount of pressure to her clit. Jade shuddered above her and within seconds, she can feel her tightening around her fingers as she slowed her pace, giving her one final lick before pulling back.

Ducking out from underneath her skirt, Tori grinned up at her girlfriend. Jade’s eyes are closed, her ample chest heaving in a way she can’t look away from, and the Latina can’t help but think that she’s never looked hotter.

Then she opened pale eyes and a smirk slowly grew on her face, and Tori shivered. Okay, so she was wrong, she could look hotter.

“Tori--”

A banging on the door interrupted her, making both of them jump. “Shit,” Jade breathed, while Tori could do nothing but squeak.

Jade leapt into action, fixing her clothes and running her fingers through her hair in what was doubtlessly a fruitless effort before raising an eyebrow at Tori. “Your hair,” she groaned, fixing it as best she could since Tori was still too terrified to move. “Okay, Vega, time to put those acting skills to use,” she told her, raising an eyebrow.

Finally, Tori moved, nodding quickly as she snapped back to reality. “Okay. We were just… re-living some memories in here,” she said, sounding much more confident than she felt.

“Exactly,” Jade smirked, opening the door.

~ FIN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come scream with me about Jori on Tumblr @ amandadawnblock!   
> If you are interested in the Jori discord, please find the Jori group chat on Tumblr to request access. I don't have the ability to give the link anymore and any comments solely asking for a link will be deleted. Thank you! 
> 
> And, as always, please let me know what you think!


	21. Boob Master

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not prompt-based  
> How *did* Tori end up getting the task of getting Jade's boobs in the hamburger?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is dedicated to PrettyLittlePoutyMouth, who is an amazingly talented writer and a super encouraging, supportive friend who also gave me the inspiration for the title for this!   
> (Go check out her work if you haven't!) 
> 
> This one isn't prompt-based and spun off a discussion I was having with fellow Jorians.

Well, fuck. In all of the things that Jade had thought could go wrong with this day, she had to admit that the idea of her boobs refusing to fit through the small opening of her costume hadn't even crossed her mind. And yet, here she was.

"CAT!" she yelled, making the redhead jump with a small squeak of surprise escaping her lips.

"Go get Tori," she demanded, setting the costume down and scowling.

"Why do you want Tori?" Cat questioned obliviously.

Jade huffed in clear annoyance. "I can't get my boobs in the hamburger. Now go get her!"

"Kay kay!" Cat agreed cheerfully, obeying the order immediately. She returned after just a moment with Tori in tow, a questioning look on her face.

"Don't say a word," Jade growled, ignoring the way her stomach twisted when she realized what exactly she was asking Tori to do. But it had nothing to do with the idea of feeling Tori's hands on her breasts, that would be ridiculous. No, it was just frustration from needing her help, she told herself, almost able to believe it as the younger girl approached.

Picking up the costume, she began to work her way into it and tried to ignore the way the twisting in her stomach worsened as she felt Tori tentatively start pushing at her boobs. "You're going to have to do better than that, Vega," she sneered, attempting to cover up the strange way she was feeling. She couldn't help but jump slightly when Tori planted her hands firmly on her breasts at her words, fingers groping and pushing at the sensitive flesh as together, they managed to finally get Jade fully into the hamburger costume.

Jade was panting, slightly dazed as she adjusted the fit, and met Tori's eyes. She couldn't be sure, but she _thought_ that Tori looked even more flustered than she felt. She hated how she couldn't stop thinking about asking for Tori for help getting _out_ of the costume too.


	22. Happy Halloween

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Tori dressed up as a sexy cop for Halloween and Jade keeps surrendering to Tori by saying, "I've been very bad, you should arrest me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween, fellow Jorians!

Jade may have had just a little too much weed, Tori thought as she shook her hand away from her arm for what felt like the hundredth time in twenty minutes. For someone who professed to hate her, the other girl would _not_ leave her alone tonight, she thought, exasperation mingled with amusement as Jade resumed running her fingers along her arm within seconds of being shaken off. 

"I've been a very bad girl, Officer," Jade purred, amusingly using the same voice she had for Betty Sue Goldenheart. _Too bad her outfit isn't as hot._

Wait, what? Where the hell had _that_ come from? Tori pondered as she tried to shake away the image of a younger, still brunette Jade in that outfit. But as soon as she managed to get rid of it, she found herself turning to study what the older girl _was_ wearing. 

And although she'd certainly seen the Scissoring dress before (she didn't think she'd _ever_ forget trying not to stare at Jade all throughout that day), she'd accentuated her cleavage with fake blood and Tori found herself struggling very hard not to stare at where her gaze was obviously meant to be drawn. 

All in all, while the costume wasn't quite as revealing as the farmgirl's had been, it was still _hot_ and Tori found herself licking her lips as Jade's wandering hands settled on her hips. She hadn't even noticed the other girl guiding her away from the party and into the shadows of another room, lost in thought (and lust, but she pushed that word away quickly), and she realized with a jolt that no one could see them and that Jade was absolutely staring at her lips. 

Okay. _**Okay**_. Whatever this was, she was sure there was a rational explanation and she was sure that her gaze had absolutely dropped to stare at Jade's lips, a whimper escaping her lips when she saw her tongue dart out and lick her lips. 

"I've been very naughty, Officer Pedesko," Jade purred again, still in that same damn voice, and her hands tightened on Tori's hips as she leaned in, warm breath tickling against her lips as she continued. "You really should arrest me." 

"Jade," Tori murmured, shivering when a thumb slipped underneath her uniform shirt, caressing smooth skin and leaving trails of fire in its wake. 

“Tori,," Jade whispered, and then her lips were on hers and Tori's mind went blissfully blank, forgetting everything and only knowing the kiss. 

Kissing her back, she wrapped her arms around Jade, bodies melting together as she tried to get as close to the other girl as she possibly could. Her hands settled on the small of Jade's back before moving up to tangle in raven hair, pulling slightly and being rewarded with a grunt of approval and Jade deepening the kiss. 

Tori whimpered when Jade's tongue swiped against her lips, immediately tilting her head and shivering when their tongues touched for the first time. She gave her hair another, slightly sharper tug, and she gasped when Jade bit her lip and tugged at it gently before releasing it. 

For some reason, the gentle violence of it pulled Tori back to the present and she realized two things all at once: she was kissing Jade West. _She was kissing Jade West and god, she was loving it._

She idly wondered if this made her gay, but then all rational thought was driven from her mind again as Jade's hand slipped underneath her shirt entirely, splaying across her belly and Tori thought she might _die_ from the fire coursing through her veins. 

"Jade," she gasped when the other girl broke away, resting her forehead against Tori's as they both panted, trying to catch their breath while staring into each other's eyes. "Jade, you're high," she said weakly, trying to remember why they shouldn't do this. 

"I'm not that high," Jade whispered back, and this time it was _her_ voice, something that made Tori feel a tiny bit better. "I've wanted to do this for so long," she added, brushing the back of her hand against Tori's cheek before following it with a kiss. 

"Then we should do it right," she whispered, swallowing hard when Jade's hand moved to the curve of her bare hip, giving it a gentle squeeze that threatened to override her resistance entirely. "I don't want you to regret this." 

Jade huffed, tongue running over her lips as she scrutinized Tori before slowly pulling her hands away. She smirked when she saw Tori's eyes immediately drop to her cleavage again, though this time she didn't bother trying to pull her eyes away. What was the point of hiding now that her lipstick was smeared across Jade's face and some of Jade's fake blood was probably on her? It was obvious to anyone what had happened and honestly, Tori wondered if some part of her had already known what she felt for Jade, because she didn't feel as shocked by it as she thought she should have. 

But then she realized that Jade had been saying something, and she blushed when she admitted, "I didn’t hear what you said.” 

"They can be distracting,” Jade smirked, and Tori’s cheeks warmed even more when she realized she was still staring at her chest. She hurriedly jerked her gaze upward, staring wide-eyed at Jade as she continued, “I said that I'll come by tomorrow night and we can talk," Jade repeated, folding her arms underneath her chest and enhancing her cleavage. "If you want to." 

"Yeah, I want to," she hurried to reassure her, hearing the vulnerability hidden beneath the bravado that no one else ever seemed to hear. "I really want to," she added, giving her a warm smile. 

"You're a dork, Tori," Jade said with a roll of her eyes, but she couldn't hide the smile creeping across her features. 

"A dork you've been trying to get alone to make out with for the past hour," she teased. 

"What can I say? The uniform blinds me," she deadpanned, eyes scanning Tori's body in a way that made her stomach flip. 

"I'll make sure to wear it more often," she countered with a smirk. 

"You do that," Jade grinned, leaning in to kiss her again. Her hand came up to cup her cheek, thumb stroking it tenderly before she pulled back. "Tomorrow night," she repeated, heading back into the party before a dazed Tori could even think about responding. 

Holy chiz, what a Halloween party. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This definitely owes credit to _A Real Actress_ by **weirdprince** , which I kept flashing back to and certainly influenced parts of this.
> 
> Also major credit to _Tori Vega is a Kinky Top Who Drives a Subaru_ by **kbs_was_here** and **PrettyLittlePoutyMouth**. If you know, you know.


	23. Not Over, But Around

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _You spent years building yourself walls upon walls, walls so high that they towered over you and you thought they would test anyone who would breach them to the point of giving up long before they even came close to it._

You never thought that you could need anyone, not really. 

You spent years building yourself walls upon walls, walls so high that they towered over you and you thought they would test anyone who would breach them to the point of giving up long before they even came close to it. 

Of course, you had never met Tori back then. 

No matter what you do, the girl simply does not stop trying to find the weaknesses in your defenses. And what's worse, she's often successful in doing just that. You find yourself letting her in more and more after the day you showed up at her door with a broken kite and ruined mascara, pleading for her to help you. 

You rather think that she's a glutton for punishment, the way she never takes your stubborn denial that you aren't friends seriously. But gradually, the longer she sticks around and is there for you despite your worst behavior, you start to realize what the trick of it all is, why she's so able to get you to trust her time and time again. 

You begin to realize that she's the first person in years who hasn't tried to climb your walls but find a way around them, and it makes all the difference in the world. Because to you, the people who attempt to scale the walls you've built around yourself are foolish and short-sighted; even Beck had eventually given up after two years of dating. (Truthfully, you don't think either of you had been happy for a long time leading up to the break-up, but you were familiar and safe with each other and so you had tried to pretend that you were.) 

Tori... Tori is well capable of playing the long game, as she's proven over the years that you've known her, and once you realize that she has been doing her best to go around your walls rather than over, well... 

You're freshmen in college the first time you kiss her. That dumb Katy Perry song she's always loved is playing in the background and you've both had a few too many drinks in the form of wine coolers that you'd bought with a little well-placed cleavage and flirtation at the local gas station. Tori is singing along to the song with her glasses slipping down her nose as she bobs her head to the tune and she just looks so damn kissable that you can't help yourself and you lean in. 

Whether it's surprise or shock or something else, you don't know, but she freezes in place. Her breath is warm against your lips in the second before you close the distance, and you tentatively cup her cheek as you move your lips against hers. 

Her lips are soft and warm and immediately she's kissing you back, kissing you back shyly and sweetly and you feel like you could fly with how lightweight you feel. Her hands settle on the small of your back before skimming up and down slowly, and you feel emboldened enough to brush her lips with your tongue, thumb swiping gently over the soft skin of her cheek. 

Tori's mouth opens immediately and she melts when you wrap your free arm around her, pulling her even closer as you deepen the kiss. Your tongue caresses hers and the shyness of the kiss quickly turns into something much more confident, bolder and more intense. 

Your head is buzzing with elation and perhaps the effect of the wine coolers, but you know that it's mostly the effects of kissing Tori after months of wondering what it might be like. You're holding each other tightly now, all pretense of shyness forgotten as you make out with the woman who never gave up on you even when you didn't deserve her. 

And when you finally break the kiss, panting slightly and trying to catch your breath, you can't help but stare at how adorably nerdy and sexy she looks with flushed cheeks and her glasses askew. She's panting as hard as you are and there's a dazed look on her face as she blinks rapidly, staring at you like she's never seen you before. 

"Jade..." 

"I don't want to talk right now," you whisper, reaching out for her hand and giving it a gentle, reassuring squeeze. "We're both drunk and this is a sober conversation, okay Vega?" You watch the anxiety fall away as her shoulders slump and the smile returns to her face, and you hate the fact that you have no one to blame but yourself for it. 

You'll spend the rest of your life making up for all of your mistakes, you know, but as she returns the warm smile you give her, you can't help but think that there's no one else you'd rather do that for but her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've become a complete obsessive about second-person now, apparently. 
> 
> Also, I owe the central idea for Tori finding ways around Jade's walls instead of going over them to another fic, but I cannot remember which one for sure. If you have any idea or know which one it is, please drop it below and I will credit appropriately! It's an analysis I loved as soon as I read it (lost my mind over it, really), and I'm surprised it hasn't made it into my work before now. 
> 
> UPDATE! The story I was inspired by was _By Any Other Name_ by **RetiredCel** on FF.net! 
> 
> Thank you, hope you enjoyed!


	24. Of Wendigos & Pancakes

Tori was half-asleep on her girlfriend's shoulder, the pair cuddled up together on the old, worn sofa that had seen better days but was still functional and comfortable enough that neither wanted to get rid of it quite yet. Jade was playing Until Dawn, a game that Beck had recommended and even loaned her a copy of so that she could experience it. 

Usually unable to handle playing scary games, Tori was enjoying watching the experience as she slowly drifted off into that hazy land that existed between wakefulness and sleep. She thought that it probably had something to do with being Jade West's girlfriend, the newfound experience of enjoying a good horror experience. After all, she had seen more horror in her girlfriend's films than in anything else she had watched, so what were a few wendigos while she was falling asleep? 

The game was just reaching the conclusion, several wendigos appearing at once and making Tori jump slightly even in her half-asleep state. Just as suddenly, Jade jumped hard enough to wake her with a start before letting out a yell, unlike anything she'd ever heard come from her girlfriend before. 

Blinking as she tried to wake up more, Tori glanced at her in concern and then followed Jade's stare to the ground... where Pancakes, Jade's beautiful bunny with the black spots, suddenly hopped out from underneath the blankets covering her and hopped away. 

Letting out a giggle, Tori tried to smother it when Jade shot her a glare, but the expression just added to the humor of the situation and she lost the battle entirely, dissolving into laughter as her body shook from the force of it. 

"He made me die," Jade grumbled, but she couldn't hide her grin. "He bumped my leg and scared the shit out of me, so I dropped the controller and the wendigo got me," she sighed, picking the controller back up and wrapping an arm around Tori. 

"This is what we get for trying to teach him to bump our hands to say hello," she finally managed to get out, leaning in to kiss Jade's cheek in apology. 

"Yeah, and whose idea was that again?" Jade teased playfully as she restarted the game from the last save. 

"I thought it looked cute when I saw the video!" Tori defended herself, snuggling in and making herself comfortable. It was a bit hard, with Jade's arm wrapped around her and stretched so that she could play the game, but she felt warm and safe and protected and none of those were things she would give up for anything in the world. 

"I guess it is pretty cute," Jade admitted, navigating her way back to the cabin without too much trouble while Tori watched with keen interest.

And this time, Tori kept an eye out for Pancakes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit for the idea goes to https://notalwaysright.com/a-pet-straight-out-of-monty-python/219955/

**Author's Note:**

> The series title is from Why by Sabrina Carpenter, which I've adopted as Jori's theme song. 
> 
> Thanks for reading, and please review!


End file.
